Basic Forced Air Furnace Trouble Shooting Guide for Maintenance
Technicians
By Darrin Card
NOTE: This is a basic
guide for informational purposes only. This guide will not cover all furnace makes
and models. Only trained professionals
should work on furnaces, the author of this guide is not liable for any damage
or injuries caused by the improper use of this guide.
One of the most frustrating things for a new comer to the maintenance
field can be troubleshooting a forced air furnace. At first glance a furnace can seem daunting
and even dangerous, however once you understand the basic operation of a furnace
the task of troubleshooting and repairing can be a fairly easy process.
The majority of new furnaces have self-diagnostic tools
built into them. Be sure to read through
the manufacturer’s manual as these tools can save a lot of time and money. However, they might not always tell the whole
story, that’s where understanding the inner workings of the furnace can come in
handy.
Familiarizing yourself with the nomenclature of parts in a
furnace is the first step to understanding the operation of the furnace
itself. Below is a basic guide to the
parts to the furnace.
There is one part that isn’t labeled on the drawing that I
would like to point out, as it plays an important role in diagnosing a broken
furnace. Above the gas control valve and
below the draft hood there is a small gray box set on the back of the
cabinet. This part is called a limit
control. There are also a few other
parts not depicted in the above schematic.
Those are ignition module (a circuit board), a transformer, inducer motor,
pressure switch and a run capacitor. I
will provide pictures of these parts below.
Once you understand that a furnace operates in a fairly
lineal process the task of diagnosing becomes much easier to understand. A furnace goes through many different tasks
before it will actually supply heat however most tasks won’t begin until a goal
has been met. For example, the furnace
won’t start to run until the thermostat calls for heat, the thermostat won’t
call for heat unless the temperature in the room dictates it. That is a lineal process (in reverse). I have included a diagram below explaining
the steps to the process a furnace goes through in order to supply heat. Once you understand these steps we can expand
on them to include multiple options for repair.
The instructions below are based on a common furnace but there may be
minor changes in the operation depending on the model of furnace you are
working on. I will expand on these later
in the article however reading through the manufacturers literature for your
specific model is always recommended.
Furnace Operation
1)
Thermostat will call for heat, meaning it will
send a signal to the ignition control module
2)
In order for the thermostat it must get power
from a transformer which lowers the voltage from 120V to 24V
3)
The furnace will get the 24v signal from the
thermostat and start by kicking on the inducer motor (if present)
4)
The inducer motor starts a draft to expel the
gasses from the furnace
5)
A pressure switch will read when the draft
reaches the proper cfm
6)
The pressure switch sends a signal to the
ignition board which in turn sends a signal to the igniter
7)
The igniter will heat up and send a signal to
the gas valve to open (Sometimes through the ignition control module)
8)
Once the gas valve opens the igniter will ignite
the gas and the flame should spread through the burner tubes and reach a flame
sensor.
9)
The flame sensor will reach the set temperature and
send a signal to the fan to start blowing.
10)
The fan will start with help from the capacitor
and blow the unconditioned air over the heat exchanger and out the vents.
11)
A limit control will read that the temperature of
the air blowing past the heat exchanger is within a set temperature range. If the temperature is outside of the range it
will shut the whole process down, if it is within the range the furnace will
operate normally.
12)
Once the set temperature is met the thermostat
will cut off the signal to the ignition control module and the furnace will
start to shut down.
13)
The gas valve will shut down but the fan will
stay running to expel any heat left in the heat exchanger.
Once a basic understanding of the operation of the furnace
is achieved we can now concentrate on the diagnostic process involved in the
repair of a furnace. The first step in
diagnostics is running the furnace through a cycle. To do this you must make sure the furnace is
reset and the thermostat is turned up so that it will be calling for heat. Make sure power is off to the furnace by turning
off the power switch or the breaker supplying power to the furnace. Next check the ambient (air) temperature of
the room itself; this can be done simply by checking the thermostat however a
bad thermostat may give a false reading.
I always carry a small, digital thermostat in my tool bag for use in
situations such as this. I stick the
probe of the thermometer in a supply register and wait for an accurate reading. Then be sure to set the thermostat to a temperature
at least 5 degrees above the room temperature.
Most thermostats have a differential of 1-3 degrees, meaning they won’t
call for heat unless the temperature is 1-3 degrees below the set temperature and
they will run until the room temperature is 1-3 degrees above the set temperature. The differential can be adjusted on the
thermostat however I normally leave them at the factory setting.
Once the temperature is accurately set you can then turn the
power back on to the furnace. Be sure to
pay careful attention to the operation of the furnace at this point. The furnace should start to go through the
steps above and, if it is not working correctly will stop at some point within
those steps. Knowing where the furnace
is stopping is critical to diagnosis the furnace.
Once the thermostat calls for heat the inducer motor should
kick in. The diagram above doesn’t
include an inducer motor as not all furnaces have them, especially older
models. The inducer motor will look like
the one pictured below:
If the inducer motor doesn’t kick in turn the power off to
the furnace and try and spin the blades by hand. The bearings may have gone out of the motor
itself, in which case you need to replace it.
If the blades spin freely you may have a problem with the transformer,
thermostat, or ignition control module.
Start with the easiest to access piece, the thermostat. Check for a 24v supply to the thermostat
using a multi-meter to be sure the transformer is in working order. Change the batteries in the thermostat and
then try “jumping” the thermostat itself (bypassing it by directly connecting
the power supply and the heat wire. Do
not do this unless properly trained as connecting the wrong wires may cause
more damage to the unit). If the inducer
motor is still not running you may have a problem with the ignition control module
or the motor itself.
Once the inducer motor is running you will want to listen
for a very faint “click sound” coming from the pressure switch. The pressure switch should be located close
to the inducer motor and look something like this:
It should have two tubes running to it. To check if the pressure switch is working
shut down the furnace, disconnect one of the tubes and blow into the inlet tube
of the pressure switch. You should hear
a clicking sound. If you don’t hear the
clicking sound the diaphragm is more than likely bad and you should replace the
switch.
Once the pressure switch detects the inducer motor is
working it will send a signal to the ignition control module which in turn
sends a signal to the igniter.
There are a few different types of igniters in furnaces: a
glow plug style, a spark igniter, and a standing pilot. Here are pictures of each:
Glow Plug Igniter
Spark Igniter
Standing Pilot
Glow Plug Igniter
The glow plug igniter should turn a bright orange as it heats
up. If it is not heating up shut down
the furnace and look at the igniter. It
may have a break in it or the wires may be charred in which case it will need
to be replaced. The gas valve will not
open unless it detects the glow plug is heated up to the proper temp in this
type of ignition.
Spark Igniter
A spark igniter has two parts to it, the distributer and the
spark igniter. The distributer is the
rectangle looking part in the picture.
These can get plugged up and must be cleaned to allow the gas to pass
through. Be careful when disconnecting a
spark igniter assembly as there may be an orifice below the distributer. Once the inducer motor is detected the gas
valve will open the pilot supply, allowing a small amount of gas to the
ignition assembly itself. At this point
you should see the sparks coming from the spark igniter and the gas catch on
fire. If you are not seeing sparks
replace the spark igniter. Once the gas
is ignited the gas valve will fully open.
Standing Pilot
A standing pilot will always have a flame, even when the
furnace is not calling for heat. The
flame should be small and blue little or no orange should be detected in the
flame. The thermocouple on the standing
pilot assembly sends a signal to the ignition control module if there is a
flame present. If there is not a flame
present the gas valve will shut down the supply to the assembly. Drafts can blow out standing pilots so be
sure to try and re-light a pilot light that is out before replacing the
thermocouple. If the pilot lights but
goes out quickly the thermocouple is bad and should be replaced. If the furnace is calling for heat it will
open the gas valve to the burners and the standing pilot will ignite that gas.
Once the ignition procedure is confirmed the gas valve
should open and send gas through the burners.
There are many different styles of burners which all need to be kept
clean and free of debris. I would
recommend hiring a professional to clean burners or train staff on how to clean
burners before attempting it on your own.
Below is a type of common burner assembly, however burners can vary
greatly.
The flame should spread throughout the burners and should be
evenly distributed through the assembly.
If you see a larger flame on one side than the other the assembly may
need to be cleaned or replaced.
If there is no gas at all you may have a bad gas valve. Replacement is the only option here. Be sure to re-seal all joints with Teflon
tape or paste properly rated for gas.
At the far end of the assembly there should be a flame
sensor. This detects the heat from the
flame and sends a signal back to the ignition control module and/or gas valve
to let it know things are operating normally.
If the flame sensor doesn’t detect heat it will tell the gas valve to
shut down.
Flame sensors can become dirty over time and, while they can
be cleaned, should be replaced if there is a flame present and yet the gas
valve shuts down after only a couple seconds of operation.
Once the flame is detected the ignition control module will
send a signal to the fan to turn on and start blowing non-conditioned air over
the heat exchanger. The fan needs help
from a capacitor to help get it started.
If your fan doesn’t start running the capacitor can be checked (be sure
to ground out the capacitor before working with it as it can hold a charge even
when power has been disconnected to the furnace). Capacitors can be tested, however the
instructions can be fairly complicated.
This is a link to the Wikipedia page which has detailed instructions on
how to test capacitors:
Once the fan starts up it will blow hot air through the heat
exchanger, into the duct work, and out the heat registers. If the fan doesn’t start up, or there is not
enough flow the heat exchanger can heat up to a dangerous temperature. To keep this from occurring a limit control
is in place. Limit controls can come in
a few different styles however there are two basic types:
Mechanical Limit
Control
Snap Disc Limit
Control
Again, testing either of these is a very descriptive process
and should be done by a professional or learned with hands on training.
If you have flame and your fan kicks on but everything shuts
down within a couple seconds or up to a couple minutes of starting, without the
room reaching the desired temperature, your limit control could be bad or there
could be a blockage in the air flow, first check for a blockage of air flow at
either the furnace filter or the A-coil.
Filters should be changed at least every 3 months, a dirty filter can
block airflow into the heat exchanger.
An A-coil is used in split-style air conditioning
systems. This means there is a
condensing unit outside the unit and an air exchanger inside the unit. The
A-coil is the air exchanger and the fins can become clogged with dust, pet
hair, and other debris. These must be
cleaned in order to facilitate proper air flow through the heat exchanger. You can check for air flow at the heat
registers also, although this can be deceiving unless you carry an air flow
meter with you (I don’t).
If the filter and
a-coil are clean and allowing proper air flow the culprit is probably your
limit control. I usually change these
out without testing them as they are a fairly cheap, disposable part.
If you fan doesn’t turn over or runs very slow you should
check its operation. Shut down the
furnace and spin the blades by hand, if they seem hard to turn or don’t spin
freely the bearings are bad and you will need to replace it. When replacing a fan be sure to clean off the
blades, which will be re-used, and the furnace cabinet while you have it out.
At this point there are no more steps for the furnace to go
through, it should run normally and finish its cycle once the room reaches the
set temperature. If it is still shutting
down early you may have a bad thermostat.
Again, you can jump the thermostat or you can replace it and see if it
takes care of the problem.
The hardest thing to diagnose is the ignition control
module. If you look above the ignition
control module plays a role in many of the steps. They are also one of the most expensive parts
of the furnace and it takes the most time to replace (although the fan motor is
a close second). This is usually the
last part I replace when following the steps above.
The biggest mistake technicians make when working on a
furnace is rushing through the steps and getting frustrated. If you are having problems with a furnace
take a step back, calm down, and run the cycle again. Be sure to follow each step and pay attention
to what the furnace is telling you.
Having the right tool is also a big help, without the proper tools a 5
minute job can easily turn into 20 minutes of frustration.
Below is a list of tools that I find helpful when working on
furnaces:
1)
6-1
screwdriver. One of the most versatile
tools be sure to get one which features ¼” and 5/16” nut drivers along with phillip
and standard drivers. Extra features
which I have found handy include an LED light on the tip and an insulated
handle.
2)
Multi-meter. Testing parts saves the time and money for
both the technician and the property.
Once you know how to properly use a multi-meter you won’t know what you
did without it. A few features I would
look for are; a built-in noncontact voltage meter, CAP or uf testing, and a
clamp on head (for air conditioning or refrigerators)
3)
Long set
of nut drivers. 6” or longer is nice
to reach back to the back of the furnaces
4)
Knipex
Cobra pliers. Some of the best
pliers I have found, work flawlessly and are not as bulky as other models I
have used.
5)
Headlamp
or other light source. Headlamps offer
hands free work lighting but I have found a few other light sources which work
just fine.
6)
Jumper
wires. I carry and insulated wire,
about 8” long with alligator clips on both sides. This allows me to jump over any troublesome
circuit. Again, please be sure you are
trained properly before attempting this.
7)
Pipe
wrench. Although I can normally get
by with my Knipex I usually try and carry a small pipe wrench with me for
changing out gas valves.
8)
Small
Drill/ Driver. I really like the
Rockwell RK2510K2 as it is small and powerful.
Look for something compact with a LED light on it.
9)
Digital
Thermometer.